Hi, lovely, arty amalgamation. I remember you.
I did so mean to post this post ages and years ago. Like, back in the summer. It’s cool, though, I made these with frozen berries, which are readily-available year-round. Frozen berries are actually a super good deal, money-wise. Rather than paying $8 a carton for strawberries in midwinter reserved for special occasion, you can buy huge bags of frozen berries and eat them at will. Berry-bingeing on a budget, s’what I’m all about, obviously.
I made these for our new neighbors. And heaven knows, when one gets new neighbors, one never knows how health-conscious they are, or if they have allergies. While I stopped short of making these gluten-free, I did dial back the sugar a bit. And besides the frosting, which you can omit if you want to go the muffin-route, these are dairy-free too!
I recently decided that being lactose-intolerant would be just as disruptive in my life as being gluten-intolerant. Apparently you can still develop it in your 30s and 40s. Let’s pray that doesn’t happen. I want MELK.
Because I was experimenting a little with the sugar in this recipe, I think they turned out a little tough. Not awful, but not the lightest cake experience I’ve ever had, or that my neighbors have likely had. It definitely could be the general recipe though. For some reason, I have trouble trusting recipes that come out of books. I think I’ve read so many food blogs that I need 100 reviews on a recipe so I know it is the best one. Ditto on old family recipes. I trust those.
Worth a shot if you want a fun breakfast option. If you want a really good cupcake, though, I suggest these. Or these. I can say that, right?
L
Wild Berry Cakes
Adapted from 500 Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons berry jam
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 cups powdered
milk
extra berries for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 12 cupcakes liners in a muffin tin. If you want to go mini like me, you could try 24 or more mini cupcakes.
In a food processor, puree 1 1/2 cups of the berries. Mash the reserved berries a bit with a fork, and set aside. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and eggs, then whisk in the pureed berries. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined, then fold in the reserved mashed berries.
Spoon the batter into the liners. Bake for 20 minutes, checking for doneness at 15 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
To frost, beat butter until cream. Add powered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until well-combined. Drizzle in milk, maybe a tablespoon or two, until the desired consistency is reached. Stir in the berry jam, then spread on cooled cupcakes. Top each with a berry or two.
Love the berries sat on top of the frosting, so cute! x